


Waiting

by Havoklysm



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, They/Them Pronouns for Sheik, built upon an existing scene in the game, sheik greeting link after his seven year slumber, some game dialogue is used
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:29:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29722119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Havoklysm/pseuds/Havoklysm
Summary: Sheik has been waiting for seven years, living in the shadows, but the hero has finally awoken, and they're their to greet him.
Kudos: 4





	Waiting

Seven years was a long time to wait for somebody, and it never surprised Sheik just how bad the world had gotten in that short time. 

Ganondorf was an unstoppable force without the Master Sword and the Sages to keep his evil at bay, and with their only hope of survival being sealed away in slumber for seven years, they truly had no chance.

Often Sheik prayed to the goddesses for their wisdom, their power, their courage, but every day went as silent as the last.

_ They _ were supposed to hold the wisdom of Nayru, but these days they rarely felt anything but a deep seed of dread. 

The land was dangerous. Their home, Castle Town, overrun with fiends, the fields consumed with monsters, and the people who once inhabited their kingdom lie hidden in fear if not dead already. 

They could only continue to pray, hope the hero would awaken soon and complete his task, and be returned to his time where this future never happened. Where Ganon never gained this amount of control and power and plunged them into a seemingly irreversible plague of darkness. 

One day it struck them, a knowing tug on their psyche, and they stood to their full height. “It’s time.” Their voice was soft but hoarse from lack of use, and they spoke to no one but themself. They kept no company, Impa having vanished shortly after Zelda’s transformation into the last known Sheikah. They were alone and stuck waiting for years and years for the hero to awaken. 

But the time had come, and they made haste for the Temple of Time to be there when the boy opened his eyes at last.

Seeing him again, grown in those seven years of slumber, made their heart swell as much as ache. He had been robbed of his childhood and forced into a fate he barely understood. They all technically had been, but it seemed Link got the brunt of it. 

Sheik knew the stories and tales of incarnations past, but they knew not the dirty details of them. Their knowledge did not go beyond the fight between good and evil, the evil of which was always overcome by the hero with the sword and the princess of light.

It was strange to be immersed in the story personally and not simply studying books from the royal library. 

The boy before them slumped to his knees once the beam of blue light dispersed, breathing strangely as he tried to gain his bearings. A ball of light floating around him caught Sheik’s attention, but the Sheikah remained silent and continued watching from the shadows as the fairy spoke.

“Hey! Link, we’re back in the Temple of Time.” A pause. “Did seven years really pass?” 

The boy didn’t answer, but he looked around them in a startled panic before glancing down at himself. The answer was clear enough given his growth spurt, which the fairy seemed to notice. 

“Maybe we should get you some new clothes! Those look a little tight.” She floated around him, inspecting the green tunic, before she darted near his shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.” 

A little wobbly, the boy stepped from the raised platform, Master Sword securely strapped to his back, but he didn’t get far before his neck prickled as if someone were watching him. Drawing his weapon and shield, Link spun around to face the intruder.

Sheik stood where Link once did, just before the pedestal the sword had been sheathed in. They stood with a wide stance, red eyes staring at the two. “I’ve been waiting for you, Hero of Time.” 

Link blinked, pose relaxing but not relenting enough to put his defenses away. “Waiting for me?” His voice was much deeper than it had been when they were children, and it croaked from lack of use. 

“When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples.” Although repeating a script, the relayed information was important. “One in a deep forest, one on a high mountain, one under a vast lake, one within the house of the dead, and one within a goddess of the sand.” They took a step forward, carefully watching the boy in the green tunic. “Together with the hero, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world. This is the legend of the temples passed down by my people, the Sheikah.” 

“The Sheikah?” Link blinked. “I thought--”

“We are few and far between now. I am Sheik. I am a survivor of the Sheikahs.” They offered a bow, bending only partially and placing a hand on their chest before they straightened and smiled under the cloth that hid the lower half of their face. “Seeing you standing there holding that sword. . . you really do look the part of the legendary Hero of Time.” With a soft sigh, they took another few steps forward, standing on the edge of the highest point of the platform with the few steps just below. “If you believe the legend, then you have no choice. You must look for the temples and awaken the sages.”

Sheik crossed their arms, keeping their weight distributed on both legs. “One sage is waiting in the Forest Temple. The Sage is a girl I am sure you know. Because of the evil in the temple, she cannot hear the awakening call from the Sacred Realm. Unfortunately, equipped as you currently are, you cannot even enter the temple. But, if you believe what I am saying, you should head to Kakariko Village. Do you understand, Link?” 

Link was quiet for a long moment, mulling over all the information he’d been given and letting it sink in. It was quite the load to take for one person, and a lot was expected of him, but the sword he held in his left hand spoke all the truth he required to fully believe. He would not have gone through a seven year slumber if he hadn’t been the hero this time needed. He may have felt overwhelmed, but he knew there was no one else capable. 

After a moment, he nodded. “I understand.” 

Sheik nodded, smiling another hidden smile. “Then make haste, Hero. We shall see each other again soon.” Reaching into a pocket of their suit, they removed a small object. They threw it to the ground, and with a sharp bang and a bright flash, they disappeared in a puff of smoke. 

Although the coming journey would be far more difficult than it had been seven years ago for the hero, Sheik would be there, in the shadows, to offer a helping hand when needed. 

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something for Ocarina of Time of Sheik, who is one of my favorite characters in the Zelda universe, so I chose to elaborate on the scene where the hero first awakens. Some dialogue is pulled straight from the game, but the rest is all me. 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoyed, and thank you for reading!


End file.
